Flights
Airline tickets vary in prices and conditions and more than one airline can bring you to Bali.  The big difference between the airlines are in the route they take and from whom you will purchase the ticket from. Many times the cheapest tickets involve the most stop overs en route, so it actually makes sense to pay a bit more to have a shorter flight.  Ask us for the best deals at the time you are going to travel.

Food
The staple of daily fare is rice, accompanied by vegetables, a small amount of fish or meat, and a range of condiments, usually cooked in the early morning, and consumed whenever the need arises, often as snacks. Most Balinese meals are eaten quickly and without fanfare. Dining out and in groups is not a normal social custom. Festivals are the major exception. Food is prepared in an elaborate and decorative manner and is eaten communally, marking the occasion as something out of the ordinary.  Some tourist restaurants present special Bali nights, featuring dishes such as suckling pig, a Balinese banquet favorite. Unless you are invited to dine with a local family, these special events may be your only way to sample the true Balinese cuisine.

Almost every restaurant will serve nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice with a fried egg on top) and mie goreng (fried noodles with egg). These basic dishes are generally the favorites amongst tourists and travellers. Vegetarian versions may be requested. Prices range from Rp.3,000 to over Rp.15,000 depending on the surroundings. Another Indonesian favorite is satay (spicy marinaded thin slices of meat, threaded onto a skewer, barbecued, and served with a spicy peanut sauce). Satay ayam is chicken served in the same way. Satay prices vary widely from Rp.3,000 in the markets, to over Rp.15,000 in the larger restaurants.  Gado gado is an Indonesian salad, served with spicy peanut sauce and often with prawn crackers. Expect to pay about Rp.5,000 to Rp.15,000.

Chinese dishes, such as sweet and sour, cap-cay (stir fried meat and vegetables) etc. are also widely available, as is an abundance of fresh seafood, which is often kept alive in tanks until ready for cooking. Expect to pay about Rp.5,000 for basic dishes to over Rp.50,000 in restaurants (lobsters, will of course be far more expensive).

Some other popular Indonesian dishes are;

• Martabak (a fried roti bread, filled with meat or vegetables).
• Nasi campur (steamed rice with some vegetables and meat).
• Nasi rames (rice with vegetables, meat and a fried egg),
• Opor ayam (chicken cooked in coconut milk usually served with white rice (nasi putih).
• Martabak Manis (A sweet pancake with butter, chocolate, cheese, condensed milk and peanut toppings - not common on Bali, but sometimes available).

A special Balinese treat that is widely available, is black rice pudding (Bubuh Injin). This is a desert made from natural black glutinous rice, served hot, in a sweet sauce of palm sugar and thick coconut cream. 

Indonesians prefer to eat snacks, which can be bought everywhere on the streets at the small three wheeled carts, often pushed by young boys (the mobile stalls are called kaki lima, which means five legs - the three wheels of the cart, and the two legs of the cart pusher). Popular snacks include bakmie, sate , bakso (meatball soup), lemper (sticky rice), lumpia (fried spring rolls with vegetables and meat), sop (clear soup), soto (a meat and vegetable broth with rice), nasi goreng (fried rice) and mie goreng (fried noodles).

Money
Bali, being part of Indonesia, uses the Indonesian currency, the Rupiah (abbreviated, Rp.) as its monetary unit.Banknotes come in a range of denominations, including the commonly available Rp.100,000, Rp.50,000, Rp.20,000, Rp.10,000, Rp.5,000, Rp.1,000, Rp.500 and Rp.100 notes, while useful coin denominations are Rp.100 and Rp.50.

Exchange rates have run up to around Rp.10,000 to one U.S. dollar, or around Rp.6,000 to one Australian dollar. Always check your local newspapers for current exchange rates, but expect a lesser rate when converting to Rupiah, as commissions will be charged on the conversion transactions.

Foreign money can be exchanged at most banks in Bali. Banking hours are usually from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday and until 1.00 p.m. Saturday. Money can also be changed at the airport, at hotel cashiers, and at authorised money changers (found in almost every medium to large village and city). The exchange rates are published daily in newspapers and are usually posted prominently wherever money can be changed. Most authorised money changers operate seven days a week, and remain open daily until about 10:00 p.m.

Most major credit cards are acceptable at hotels, large restaurants, department stores, travel agencies and many businesses that cater to the tourist trade, including galleries, arts and craft sellers. ATM's can be found in most tourist centres and shopping centres. Many ATM's have low limits per transaction eg around $40 so you may have to do a number of transactions if you are wanting more cash.

Telephone & Internet
Bali now has a fairly good telecommunication system. Public phones can be found on almost every street, internet cafes in all the major tourist areas and good GSM coverage. For users of mobile phones, coverage is excellent in most of the major tourist areas, however service is limited in more remote areas of Bali. We advise anyone traveling to Bali with their mobile phone to check with their network operators for their international roaming status prior to traveling.  Cellular service in Indonesia is GSM. If you do decide to bring your mobile phone to Bali, you have the option of purchasing a prepaid calling card to make outgoing calls at a lower cost of calling on your home SIM. They are available from a number of shops displaying the service  providers logos, such as IM3, Telkomsel, Satelindo and Pro XL.

Bali has no shortage of internet cafes where you can check your mail. Internet Cafes are in all the major tourist areas and most of the major hotels will have a business center of internet cafe in house.